A conventional skateboard consists of a rigid board with a pair of trucks” bolted to the underside of the board at either end. A pair of wheels are journalled to axles which are mounted to each truck. There are two pivot points on each truck one of which is elevated relative to the other and further forward. When the board is tipped the wheels rotate relative to the board when weight is applied along one edge of the board, with the front wheels rotating in the direction of the turn and the rear wheels rotating in the opposite direction. A phenomenon known as wobbling can occur at high speeds when a turn is attempted and a loss of control and stability of the board is experienced. A rider typically applies pressure to an opposite side to correct the turn only to find he has overcorrected. A further correction on the opposite side followed by other corrections results in the rider eventually falling. Additionally, such skateboards have tended to be somewhat rigid and non-shock absorbing.
Skateboarding, like snowboarding, conducts routines in a hollow cylindrical surface called a half-pipe which is a U-shaped wood structure with two walls that are 10 to 15 feet high, forty feet long, with a ten-foot horizontal section connecting them. Rails at the top of the walls are made of plastic piping. A skateboarder uses the rails to perform rail-slide tricks such as by rolling up one side at an angle, turning the board sideways across the rail, sliding, and then re-entering into the half-pipe. Another trick is for the rider to launch himself into the air, turning the board to a vertical position, landing with the nose on the rail, holding that position, and then re-entering into the half-pipe. It is important when performing such tricks for a rider to feel a reasonable level of rigidity in the skateboard, good balance while performing tricks, a reduction in speed oscillations, a means of sliding the trucks over the rail and back into the pipe and an elimination of the need to hold the board while in the air.